The CCP are a threat to democracy, human rights, and sovereignty. The UK government has a role to play in holding them back.
After having watched the Chinese Ambassador on the Andrew Marr show, you can see that the Chinese Communist Party do not see themselves as the villains they are. Make no mistake, the evidence points towards the fact they are suppressing the rights of Hong Kongers and attempting genocide against the Uyghur people. The footage of the Uyghur people which showed the Uyghurs, who were shaved, blind folded and cuffed, being loaded into trains; presumably to be sent to one the CCP’s re-education camps (which the CCP claim is a necessary measure to fight separatist insurrection). The Ambassador was also shown a video which showed a victim of the CCP’s sterilisation of the Uyghur population; she detailed the pain she felt and watched others go through after she was forced to undergo this process. The Chinese Ambassador wasn’t able to muster a real defence to either of them.
There is also the issue what harm the Chinese Government can do to us here at home. The CCP claimed that the UK Government’s decision to commit to removing Huawei from our 5G equipment was not welcomed, and it would “damage UK/China relations”. I say to them: this relationship was “damaged” when they chose to take away basic freedoms from the people of Hong Kong. With the new national security law in place, Hong Kongers can be arrested just for protesting publicly. I would dread to think what happens to these people after they are caught and I am glad to see the UK Government is a leading light on offering asylum to the British National Overseas passport holders, with Dominic Raab confirming their route to UK citizenship on Monday.
We are not the only government they are trying to subvert through infiltration and a creation of dependency. In 2018 I went to Cambodia; I was shocked by the amount of the new buildings that were being built by “independent Chinese companies”. This is a similar tactic to what they are trying to do in the UK, with making it so that companies like Huawei are an essential part of a country’s infrastructure it will be almost impossible for that country to stand up to them internationally, as the CCP will be able to effectively control them; with access to their private information, control over their telecoms network and ownership of their infrastructure. There are also reports of their attempted political domination in Australia, with the 2019 Australian Parliament infiltration plot, where the CCP attempted to fund a parliamentary campaign of a businessman who was apparently in great debt to Chinese investors. Their supposed target, Bo Zhao, is unavailable for a comment on this as unfortunately he died in an accident in a hotel room in March 2019.
These are just few examples of how the CCP are reaching their hand into the wider world to control and subvert existing democracies. The CCP also have a monstrous record on many other issues (according to Amnesty International) such as their justice system, which according to reports is spoiled by unfair trials and torture, the discrimination of LGBT+ people (where conversation therapy is used to abuse them) or even the right to protest as human rights defenders & their families are subjected to raids and questioning.
Dominic Raab made a statement to the Commons on Monday where he announced further measures on China. He shared how the UK should have a good relationship with China, but their imposition of the new national security law in Hong Kong was a serious violation of the country’s international obligations. I was glad to see Labour throw their support behind the government on this issue, as we cannot afford to be divided on this issue. One of the most important changes that was announced was the suspension of the extradition treaty, which, when in place, meant that Hong Kong could request suspected criminals be brought back to the country from the UK, and vice versa. This has now been suspended as the new security law means they could be sent to China for a not so fair trial. Another step taken by the Government is to extend the arms embargo to Hong Kong, which was already in place with China for over 30 years. This will mean the UK will not be selling any arms to Hong Kong that could be used for their oppression and human rights abuses.
The CCP are due to retaliate in the coming days, and they will be looking to send a strong message to other nations across the world: China will not be stood up to. Therefore, it is exceedingly important we do not back down now, we most prove to China that they cannot bully sovereign nations into submission. For those doubting why it was worth removing Huawei equipment from our telecoms, tell yourself do you trust them now? The same people who were vowing retaliation and accuse us of “meddling” for daring to acknowledge their human rights abuses? The CCP make it more and more clear that their companies cannot be trusted when they threaten us.
Raab also confirmed plans to give all Hong Kongers a path to British Citizenship, showing that if the CCP will not uphold their freedoms; we most certainly will.
I am very much pleased to see the Foreign Secretary come out and denounce the CCP for what they are doing and the UK Government will not be complicit, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Labour’s Lisa Nandy be tougher on China also. If we want to succeed in fighting the evil of the CCP, this truly must be a bipartisan effort.
This is not over yet: some have speculated this is the beginning of a new type of cold war, and if we do not sort this out soon, they may be right. The Government is doing the right thing with China. We must make sure they continue, and we must encourage other nations to do the same. Sign the petitions, write to your MP, speak about it openly and even boycott their products when possible. I implore everyone to make their voice heard and make sure this issue is not forgotten. So many people are depending on us for their freedoms and, possibly, their lives.
